Abstract
Founded by the British colonial government in the Gold Coast in the 1920s, Achimota was an elite school which signaled the commitment of the colonial government to the provision of education and the concomitant belief in education’s role in managing the future of the nation. This study explores the contradictions of the school in which “African culture” was used to substitute for anglicized activities, lessons, and entertainments. Within the dominant western frame of Achimota, “African culture” had to be transformed and reified. The practices of the school were the result of interaction between the differing expectations of colonial officials, “traditional experts” brought in to teach customs and arts, local intelligentsia, expatriate and African teachers, and the students themselves. Achimota therefore provides a lens on the nuances and tensions within the colonial enterprise in Africa.